Tangled Red String
by GeekCat
Summary: Fluttershy has always believed that she doesn't have a soulmate, as their cutie mark never appeared on her right hoof. But when she encounters the villain she and her friends are facing, she might be proven wrong. Soulmate AU.
1. Bound Together

Fluttershy gazed out the window of the train, watching as the scene outside twisted and shifted, changing in impossible ways. Cotton candy clouds drenched ponies in chocolate rain, and animals gainsed body parts that they could never have naturally. She felt nervous about being called to Canterlot by Princess Celestia. All of her friends were worried about the strange events happening, and were discussing a possible cause for all of it, but Fluttershy did not join in.

The others didn't mind. They all knew that right now, she would be nervous, as well as worried for all of the animals whose bodies had suddenly changed back home. And they were right, but there was another reason Fluttershy was so quiet.

This morning, she had felt very…aware of how blank her right hoof was. That was where ponies could see the cutie mark of their soulmate, which was how many couples would find each other and come together. Of course, there were ponies who had blank hooves, but it was rare, and those ponies were fine without having a soulmate.

But though Fluttershy didn't ever say anything about it, the thought of being without a soulmate hurt her deeply. As she faced bullying and had trouble flying when she grew up, she waited for the day her hoof would light up, and show her that there was a pony out there who could care for her deeply, even if she was a meek pegasus unskilled in flying.

But as years went by, her hoof stayed blank, and even became another way for others to tease her. As she graduated from school and grew up, it began to hurts less, and when she started caring for her animal friends and making friends in Ponyville, she would sometimes forget all about it.

There were still days when she was saddened by it, but she could always count on her friends to cheer her up. Today, though…even as chaos was raging around them, she felt very aware of her blank hoof, as a sort of odd itch.

She listened as her friends continued to talk. They were no closer to figuring this out as when they had started, and were hoping Princess Celestia would be able to explain everything to them. Fluttershy sighed and rubbed at her hoof, not wanting to give in to the itch, but just wanting it to end. She felt frustrated as she did so.

She prayed that she could focus on what the princess needed them for.

* * *

The feeling of fear drove away the thoughts from the train.

Fluttershy felt scared as Princess Celestia had told them about Discord. That had turned to terror when they found the Elements of Harmony were gone. Her fear reached its peak when Discord actually started [i]talking[/i] to them from the stained glass window, taunting them. She was shaking in her hooves, but a small detail made her feel something besides fear.

Curiosity.

If she hadn't known that this was a being who had caused so many pain and suffering, she would have been very curious about him, with all his mismatched animal parts, and apparently powerful magic. But what she was actually curious about in this case was his right lion's paw.

The palm of it was covered by a bandage. Nopony else seemed to notice it, too focused on his unusual appearance and what he was saying to notice such a small thing as that. But Fluttershy, who cared for animals, and often bandaged their injuries, had quickly noticed it.

All she could think of was, _What could_ _injure something like him?_

She didn't think that was an answer she wanted to know.

She shivered as he started rattling off their names, freezing in place when he mentioned her. She gulped when his eyes focused on her, feeling like his gaze was pining her to the ground. For a second, she seemed to focus on only her, and all she could think about was how he was _right there,_ just _staring_ at her.

He then looked away, continuing to list them, and leaving the group with a cryptic riddle. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. He was gone, and hadn't actually focused on her that much. It was just her imagination.

She just wanted to go home.

* * *

She hid inside the hedge, taking deep breaths. When she was separated from everyone else, her first instinct was to hide, and so she did.

Finally, she worked up the courage to step outside the hedge. She placed a hoof on the ground, shivering from how nervous she was.

Suddenly, something grabbed her and yanked her into the open!

She flailed in a panic, but froze when she saw what was in front of her. She was dangling in the air, her right hoof held tightly in the vice grip of an eagle's claw. Discord had brought her up to his face, and was glaring at her.

"Explain," he growled, poking her nose with his bandaged paw.

"W-what?"

"Explain!," he growled, causing her to whimper and cower away from him. He rolled his eyes and unceremoniously dropped her on the ground, then tore the bandages off of his paw.

As Fluttershy shakily got back onto her hooves, he shoved his paw in front of her face. "Explain this. I want to know how somepony put this on me, why I can't get it off, and what a meek little pony like you has to do with it!"

On the pad of his lion's paw were three butterflies with pink wings and blue bodies. It matched her cutie mark exactly. That would mean…could he… _But that's impossible,_ _isn't it?_ She thought as she glanced down at her right hoof. She glanced back up at Discord, flinching at his angry expression.

_He's not a pony. He doesn't have a cutie mark._ "It's not possible," she said shakily. "It…it has to be some kind of trick. We couldn't be…" She couldn't even finish that thought. He was terrible! He had thrown their world into chaos, caused so many ponies pain in the past, and was doing so now! How could she be destined to be with somepony like that?

Discord growled, "If you honestly think this is a trick, tell me what reason anyone would have to put this on me!" He gave his paw a shake, a look of disdain on his face. His head shot back up. "But you know something about this. And you said something about 'we'. You know what this is, don't you?"

Fluttershy took a step backwards. "Yes, but…it can't be right…"

"Well if you would actually spit out what it is, I might be able to actually determine what's right and what's not about this situation."

"Ponies…our cutie marks appear on the…the right hooves of our…"

She gulped. He stared at her gesturing impatiently for her to continue.

"…They appear on the right hooves of our soulmates." She lowered her head. She could see it already: him laughing at her, revealing it was a trick, or him getting angry that she even entertained the thought of them being together, even if for just a second.

The silence dragged on. Fluttershy peeked up from under her mane. Discord was frozen, staring at his paw with his eyes wide. He quickly shook his head, clenching his fist.

"Pfft. You ponies just need to have everything neat and tidy, don't you? Can't take a chance with dating a pony unless you know they're 'the one'."

Fluttershy lowered her head. "I-I never thought of it like that. I… try not to think about it much," she mumbled, rubbing her right hoof anxiously against the ground.

Discord crossed his arms. "Well, I think I agree with you. Yes, yes, you can tell everypony how I actually agreed with what you thought later, don't let it get to your head. But this can't be right. Whatever is in charge of…this wouldn't put me with a pony if they were in their right mind." He leaned down to be at her eye level. "So how do we prove it?"

Fluttershy blinked. "What?"

He groaned, "I tried to get this thing off me. If my magic can't do it, I'm going to have to—ugh—ask somepony to help me out. I just need some kind of proof that this is not right so I don't need to go through a million 'Are you sure's or 'But what if it's real's."

She rubbed at her foreleg. "I don't know much, but…I've heard that when ponies find their soulmates, they 'connect'." She looked down at her right hoof. "If I remember…I think they touch their right hooves together."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course. Nice, simple confirmation. Just what you ponies like." He stretched his arm to her, palm up. "So if we do this, and nothing happens, the markings are fake, right?"

She lifted her hoof to place it on his hand. "I suppose so. But then, what could they-"

* * *

Surprise. Confusion. This was…it was jarring. She could _see_ him, and she sensed how shocked he was, too. And she knew he could sense her in the same way. She could see her surroundings, but they were blurry and didn't seem to matter that much. She felt weightless, and the ground simply seemed to disappear from beneath her hooves. But she could still feel the contact between her hoof and his paw, and see him so clearly in front of her.

He felt a burst of emotions. There was fear and confusion, but also some happiness. She felt the same sliver of happiness, deep down, but…there was worry, too. She was still scared of him, of what he could do.

Her mind teetered between different memories. Ones of her growing up, the mark of her soulmate never showing up on her hoof. And the thoughts of what Celestia had told her, about how he had turned Equestria into a world of madness.

She could feel sorrow from him, tinged with guilt. His eyes closed tightly. She felt him focusing, and his grip on her hoof tightening. Suddenly, memories that were not her own flashed in her mind.

…He was alone. No family, no friends. The only creature who cared about his happiness was him, and no creature wanted anything to do with him.

So he had lashed out, carving a place for himself in the world.

She closed her eyes and called up some of her own memories. All the times she had felt weak or alone, often teased by other ponies as she grew up. But she included happy ones, too, how Rainbow Dash would stand up for her, or her family would comfort her.

She shared how she got her cutie mark, he shared how he came to control Equestria. She shared memories of how she came to Ponyville and met her friends, he shared how he was defeated by Celestia and Luna, and his memories as a statue.

It was so cold and dark. Unable to move, unable to see… only the sounds from outside gave any connection to the world outside. She shivered, and could sense that he was…scared by this memory, this experience.

She began to feel sorry for him. He bristled up a little at that, not wanting her pity. But it was true. He had been alone for so long, and then spending so long as a statue…she began to think of how there could be good inside of him.

He didn't like being pitied, but he felt it was a better response than hate or fear. She beamed at him, and reached up to hug him, thinking he had never received one before…

* * *

Everything seemed to come crashing back down on her after her hoof separated from his paw. She felt heavier, the ground beneath her hooves much more solid, her surroundings much more sharp and clear.

She stumbled on her back hooves, falling forward as she lost her balance. Discord stumbled as well, but quickly steadied himself.

Not enough, though, as the two of them both fell to the ground as Fluttershy collided against his chest. The air was knocked out of both of them. Fluttershy blushed and wrapped her forehooves around his torso, nuzzling into his fur.

Sitting like this, outside that connection, she felt…almost empty. She had been connected with Discord, she _saw_ him, his emotions, his memories, and he could see her, and…

She had a soulmate.

She was so, so happy. So happy, but sad, because she couldn't share that with him through that connection anymore. She squeaked as Discord wrapped his arms around her small frame, pushing her closer against him.

"I suppose we're destined for each other, then," he murmured. "Normally, I'd still protest about this, but if fate wants to give me a kind, beautiful angel to be with, well, I won't complain."

Fluttershy blushed. "I'm…I'm not that pretty."

"Who said anything about pretty? Such a fleeting thing, prettiness. Flutters, you're [i]gorgeous[/i]. Now and always."

She squeaked and buried her red face in his fur. He flashed her a toothy smile, emitting an aura of confidence. But there was still that small part of the connection left, and she could sense that he was…

"Don't be nervous," she whispered. "We can figure this out. Together."

He chuckled, and she sense his nerves dying down a bit. "What's there to figure out? Fate put us together, we have each other…"

"And there are a lot of ponies mad at you. Who might think what we thought at first— that this is some kind of trick. My friends… I don't think they'll be happy."

Discord's ears perked up. "The other Elements! I almost forgot!" He quickly stood up, still holding Fluttershy in his arms, but stumbled and fell back onto the ground. "Ugh. Everything is pressing against me…"

Fluttershy yawned. "I think that's…normal after the connection. It feels like… a warm blanket…" She relaxed against Discord's chest, her eyelids drooping.

Discord yawned and summoned a small cloud pillow and woven grey blanket. The pillow he placed under his head, while he threw the blanket over himself and the drowsy pegasus on top of him.

"Naps aren't really my thing…but one sounds really good right now."

Fluttershy mumbled in agreement as she drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

* * *

She was woken up by Discord's panicking. He wasn't expressing it externally, but she could sense it, how shaken he felt.

She opened her eyes and saw that Discord was now standing up, holding her in his arms, and that the two of them were facing a group of five angered ponies—her friends.

"Just stay calm, Fluttershy," yelled Twilight. "We'll save you!"

She turned to glance at the draconequus holding her. "Discord…?"

He grinned nervously. "I woke up when I heard hoofsteps. I thought I'd try to make a better situation to _explain…us_ to them. So I undid the spells I had put on them, and I tried to get on their good side…"

Applejack yelled, "You told us some bull about us needing to calm down because you didn't want Equestria anymore! While holding an unconscious Fluttershy!"

He winced. "Yes, that may not have been my brightest idea. I probably should have just waited for you to wake up and talk to your friends. I have no experience in this… dealing with friends thing."

Fluttershy held her hooves up in the air. "Now, everypony, just stay calm. I can explain all of this. You see-"

She yelped as Discord suddenly flew back, a rainbow-colored streak flashing in front of her. "Let her go, Dipcord!," yelled Rainbow Dash, who was circling around to make another grab for Fluttershy.

Discord snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy was blinded by a white flash of light. When she opened her eyes, she saw that they were now in Ponyville, which was still covered in chaos.

"Right. Still need to fix that," muttered Discord. With a snap of his fingers, everything changed back to normal. Any pony who was actually outside quickly rushed back inside their houses, planning to hide for as long as they could manage.

Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Thank you, Discord." She placed a firm expression on her face. "But teleporting away like that…it probably just made things worse."

"I panicked, okay! I don't know what I'm doing here!" He snapped his mouth shut after that outburst, glancing around the area for anyone who could have heard it.

Fluttershy, sensing his embarrassment and worry, quietly suggested, "Why don't we go to my cottage so we can talk about this?" Discord nodded, and with a snap of his fingers the two of them teleported to her small cottage.

The animals inside made sounds of greeting once they saw Fluttershy, but began to screech in fear and rage when they saw her being held by a strange creature. They rushed forward, striking at Discord and trying to pull their caretaker away.

"All of you, stop it!," cried Fluttershy. "This is Discord, and he is a guest in our home. I'm perfectly alright, but you need to apologize for attacking him." The animals grumbled apologies, still glaring at Discord. She tilted her head up to look at him. "It's alright. You can let go now."

He set her gently down onto her hooves, hovering over her until he was certain she had regained her balance. "I'll boil us some tea, and then we can talk. Why don't you sit down?," she said gesturing to her couch.

As he floated over and stretched himself across the piece of furniture, she trotted to the kitchen and began to prepare a simple kettle of tea. Just as she grabbed teacups and prepared a small tray for the tea set, she heard a yelp from the other room. Through the connection, she felt a burst of anger.

Rushing in, she saw that Discord was standing upright, bristling and shaking his paw. On his paw was Angel Bunny, who had sunk his teeth into Discord's finger.

"Oh my!" She quickly flew over. Discord thrust his paw and the attached bunny at her. She grabbed Angel and began to rub his head, behind the ears. "Angel, you let go of Discord right now! He's our friend!"

The bunny let go, but still glared at Discord. He returned the glare, rubbing at his paw. Fluttershy flew over to the door and opened it, setting Angel on the ground. "Discord and I are going to talk now, sweetie. I'll let you inside later and explain everything."

After giving the bunny a kiss on the forehead, she closed the door and flew over to Discord. "Does it still hurt?," she asked, concern shining in her eyes.

He smiled. "Tis but a scratch. I was trying to make nice with little Demon Bunny, but he didn't appreciate that too much. Just caught me by surprise is all."

"I really am sorry. I didn't know my animal friends would act that way."

He waved it off. "Oh, it's no trouble. Nothing I can't handle. But if you want to make it up to me, I do believe you mentioned something about tea?" He bat his suddenly long black eyelashes at her, red pupils wide.

She giggled and flew back into the kitchen to fetch the tea set. When she came back, Discord was lying on his back on her couch, staring at his paw pad and the butterflies on it, his lips curled up into a small smile. She felt a small burst of joy at that.

It seemed he sensed that joy, as he noticed her approaching and quickly sat up. "I've never tried tea before, but I'm always willing to give things a shot." A small shot glass of chocolate milk appeared in his claw, which he swallowed in one gulp.

She blinked, then gave a small laugh once she saw the joke. "I choose one of my favorite kinds. I hope you like it," she said, hiding her face behind her mane as she poured the tea.

"Well, I hope so as well!," he chirped, taking one of the cups. He lifted it up to drink, but paused and brought his arms down, letting it rest in his hands. Fluttershy paused as well, confused by the serious expression on his face. She couldn't sense anything from him.

"You've been…awfully trusting towards me. Letting me hold you, inviting me here, making me tea…you're just too kind." He sighed. "Why? After what I did, what I tried to do…why? Do you put that much stock in the whole soulmate idea?"

Fluttershy reached out to lay a hoof on top of his paw. "Discord, when we connected… I _saw_ you. I saw that you didn't have anypony, and I saw how you could have been good. What you did was in the past. We all make mistakes.

Her ears lowered. "I'm…pretty sure I know the answer, but what Applejack said…is it true? Are you going to stop trying to take over Equestria?"

He nodded, his paw turning and cradling her hoof. "I truly meant it. I saw you, too, in that…connection, whatever it was. And when I thought about it, I realized that soulmate or no, you were frightened of who I was. I couldn't have you and Equestria. I had to chose."

"I want to stay with you, truly. I can't stop causing chaos—that's just who I am." Fluttershy nodded, giving his paw a light squeeze. "But, if you want, I could…rein it in. A little."

"I understand," she said softly. "And I would be very happy if you tried to be good. I meant what I said, too, about you being a friend. If…if you'd like to be friends, I mean." She gazed down with a bashful look on her face.

He smiled. "I would like that." He leaned down to softly whisper in her ear, "But are you sure you don't want us to be more?"

She squeaked, her face turning red. "Not…not right away. It's still hard for me to believe that…that I actually have a soulmate. Could we please just…take it slow?"

He ran his talons through her mane, causing her to sigh and lean towards him. "I'll go at whatever pace you want me to," he sighed. "But there is one small thing I wanted to ask you for."

She opened her eyes and looked up into his. "What is it, Discord?"

He blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck, stroking his beard. "Well…you see…We're destined to end up as a couple, right?"

"Mmhm."

"Even if we don't become one right away."

"Yes…"

"So I thought, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we did…one things couples do, just one time…"

"Like what?"

He coughed into his paw. "Fluttershy, is it alright if I…kiss you?"

Her eyes widen with shock. "What?"

He raised his hands in defense. "I'm sorry, it's just I've never kissed anypony before, and I'm a little curious, and you're just so beautiful, and none of this is helping my case and I should probably stop talking now." He clamped his mouth shut with his hands and zipped his lips closed, a bright red blush on his face.

Fluttershy blinked, a red blush covering her own face. "I mean, I've never kissed anypony either…one kiss w-wouldn't hurt," she whispered.

Discord smiled and lifted her in to his lap, craning his neck down closer to her. She stopped his lips' approach with her hoof, giggling softly. A hurt expression entered his eyes, and she felt sadness through the connection. She shook her head and reached up to unzip his lips.

She giggled again as she sensed embarrassment through their connection. "Suppose I should have remembered that," Discord muttered as he snapped his fingers, turning his lips back to normal.

Fluttershy gasped in surprise as Discord wrapped his arms around her, crushing her against his torso. He gave her a toothy grin, and she returned it with a small smile of her own. He began to lean his head down, and she began to crane her neck up.

Their lips came closer…two inches, an inch, half an inch…

Fluttershy's front door burst open, startling the both of them. The two whirled their heads towards the sound, bright red blushes covering their faces.

In the doorway stood all of her friends, each wearing their Element of Harmony. They all wore expressions of anger. At the head of the group was Twilight, and standing at her hooves with his small arms crossed was Angel. The bunny hopped inside and sat in his small bed, ready to watch the fireworks.

A magenta glow surrounded Fluttershy, and she was ripped out of Discord's arms. The both of them yelped at this sudden action. Twilight quickly brought Fluttershy to her side, tightly embracing her and placing the Element of Kindness around her neck with her magic. The group surrounded her and hugged her tightly, tearing up.

"We had been so worried when Angel ran to us," said Twilight, wiping a tear out of her eye. "But it's okay. You're safe now." She whirled around to face Discord, a glare on her face. "Or at least you will be once we turn him back to stone!"

The others copied her, facing Discord in battle-ready positions. They activated their Elements, and began to levitate into the air as their gems glowed. Discord had a nervous expression on his face, glancing between Fluttershy and the glowing ponies. Fluttershy could sense him through their connection.

He was _terrified._

"WAIT!," she yelled as she flew between Discord and her friends. They stopped glowing and floated back to the ground, looking confused.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing? Why are you defending him?," shouted Twilight. The others shouted similar questions. Fluttershy wrung her hooves together, feeling nervous. In a flash of light, Discord was beside her, placing his talon on her shoulder.

With a gulp, she said, "I know this is confusing, but… he and I… we're…" She trailed off, not knowing how to say it.

Discord glanced between her and the ponies glaring at him. When Fluttershy didn't continue, he sighed and lifted up his paw, showing the butterflies on it to her friends. They gasped in shock and horror. Rarity placed a hoof to her forehead and fainted.

"That's impossible," said Twilight. "Fluttershy doesn't have a soulmate!" Fluttershy winced at the remark. Rainbow smacked Twilight on the shoulder, and Discord sent her a glare as he took Fluttershy back into his arms.

Pinkie gasped. "Omigosh, does this mean I get to throw Fluttershy a 'Found Your Soulmate' party? I never thought I'd get to, but I had hoped and planned and it's going to be the best party ever and-"

Rainbow placed a hoof over Pinkie's mouth. "Don't get excited, Pinkie. After all, how do we know that they're _really_ soulmates?"

Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. "We…we had a connection. We _saw_ each other. Isn't that proof?" Twilight held a hoof to her chin in thought. Rainbow grumbled and glared at Discord.

Applejack stepped forward while Pinkie shook Rarity to wake her up. "Now look, Sugarcube, I know you're telling the truth that you felt…the connection. But Discord managed to hypnotize us into opposite personalities earlier. It's a little hard to take your word on something this unbelievable, knowing how he can warp ponies' minds."

Fluttershy hung her head as Rarity stepped forward. "While I do love the idea of you finding a soulmate, Fluttershy, even a non-pony, I would hope that the creature would be goodness and kindness itself, like you deserve. Not some evil brute!" Discord winced and snorted.

Applejack continued. "All we're sayin' is that we need something other than both of your words for it to believe this is true."

Rainbow pounded her hooves together. "How 'bout we take him outside and pummel him, and see if Fluttershy can name when and where he's hit through the 'connection'?"

"No!," cried Fluttershy, reaching up to cling Discord's neck protectively. He blushed at the contact, making it somewhat harder for him to glare at Rainbow.

Twilight spoke up. "The connections between soulmates has been recorded in our history for hundreds of years. If there's anypony wise enough and powerful enough to understand it- and understand them-" she nodded towards the odd pair "-it would be Princess Celestia."

The others murmured in agreement. Fluttershy's ears perked up, while Discord's lowered slightly. Even though he was trying not to show it, he was nervous.

"What's wrong?," she whispered as her friends beckoned them along, moving as a group to the train station.

"Kay Kay and I…well, we're not on the best of terms," he murmured back, glancing at Fluttershy's friends glaring at him and the townsponies giving the group odd looks. His grip on Fluttershy tightened. "What if she acts spiteful and lies to keep us apart? Try to take away this happiness I've found? It's what I would have done."

Fluttershy felt a cold feeling run through her at his last words. He quickly added, "But that was before…I knew what it was like to feel this way. This connection…I never thought of anything like this. And if I had, I never thought I would experience it."

He bent his head to give her a small nuzzle. The townsponies began to chatter fervently as they saw this, making the two of them pull apart from nervousness and embarrassment.

Fluttershy reached up to cup his cheek, but pulled back when she remembered everypony had their eyes fixed on them. "That won't happen, Discord," she whispered, "Princess Celestia is very kind and fair. She'll vouch for us, if Twilight's right that she can do that. Besides…"

"It's my happiness, too."

There was a pause as she smiled up at him. Then, she felt a burst of happiness from him, and he hugged her tightly. She smiled and returned the gesture, though with less strength.

He pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes, and brought his claws into her field of vision, ready to snap. "I trust you. You're sure? One hundred and twenty percent?" Fluttershy nodded. He snapped his fingers, and white light surrounded them. She could hear her friends call out in surprise.

* * *

Discord barely moved after their teleportation, still standing tall and holding Fluttershy. The other five mares, however, were caught by surprise, and so lost their balance and fell on the floor.

They were in the throne room at the royal palace. Celestia stood there, gazing out the window with a confused and worried expression, sending letters somewhere with her golden magic unconsciously. When she sensed somepony had entered, she quickly turned her head.

"Discord!," she growled as she sprung onto her hooves, her horn flaring with magic, her eyes set into a glare.

"Princess Celestia-" said Fluttershy, still in Discord's arms. The sight of her in his arms didn't help the situation, as Celestia's eyes and horn now blazed with anger and magic. Her wings unfurled, and she crouched, ready to spring and attack.

She fired a blast of magic towards his head as she flew towards him. Fluttershy gasped. Discord rolled his eyes and split his head into two, the laser passing harmlessly through the seam. With a wave of his claw, Celestia was inside of a giant soap bubble. Her forward momentum caused her to slam into the side of the bubble, which she bounced off of. The bubble drifted aimlessly as the Princess of the Sun bounced and flapped in an undignified manner inside of it.

Twilight cried out in horror, trying to levitate the bubble to the ground. It slipped out of her magic and further away each time. Discord snickered at this. "Discord…" said Fluttershy in a warning tone.

He huffed. "I'll let her out _after_ she agrees to stop attacking me."

Celestia shouted while upside down, "I'll not stop fighting until you release Fluttershy!"

Discord grumbled and rolled his eyes. He dramatically lifted Fluttershy high above his head, holding her under her forelegs. He paused to stare Celestia in the eyes and slowly, mechanically bent at the waist, keeping his arms ramrod straight until Fluttershy's hooves were placed gently on the ground.

He straightened up and crossed his arms. "There. Now can I let you out of your…predicament so we can talk about this like mature adults?"

Celestia growled. Twilight approached the bubble on hoof, craning her neck towards her mentor. "Princess Celestia, we really do need to talk to you. You need to verify something that is simply unbelievable!"

Celestia's mouth morphed into a frown. "Fine. I won't attack you," she muttered, "Although I do want a good explanation for all of this."

Discord whipped a silver pin from behind his back, and with one quick motion, popped the bubble. Celestia fell in a heap on the floor. Twilight ran to her side to help her up, and all but Fluttershy trotted over to stand by her side. Fluttershy decided to stay close to Discord.

"Let's cut to the chase," said Discord. He stretched his lion paw to Celestia in an impossible way, like it was made of rubber.

Celestia glanced at the three butterflies on his paw pad. Her eyes slowly widened. "That's-"

"The mark of a soulmate!," cried Twilight. "But it's impossible! He can't be with Fluttershy! They say they felt a connection, but you have to prove it's wrong!" Rainbow nodded enthusiastically.

Applejack pointed out, "Well, we really just need somepony to say if it's right or not. It's a hard pill t'swallow, but it almost looks right." Rarity made a sound of agreement.

Pinkie widened her pupils and begged, "Please say it's right. I want Fluttershy to have a soulmate and I want Discord to stick around because he's fun and I want to just hug them both because they're so cute and-"

She stopped when Celestia raised a hoof. "I understand your reservations," she said calmly. "I was surprised myself, at first. I had though Fluttershy had no soulmate, and I never thought my old enemy would have one, much less that they would be bound together."

"Twilight, if the connection happened, they are indeed soulmates. But if you do want to see it for your own eyes, I will cast an area spell, connected with the bonds between soulmates. If you will consent to that, Discord, Fluttershy?"

Discord placed his tail in front of Fluttershy. "It won't hurt, will it?" Celestia smiled and shook her head. Discord glanced at Fluttershy, who gave him a smile and nod. He turned to Celestia and gave her a swift nod.

Celestia closed her eyes, and golden magic surrounded her horn. The light brightened, covering the whole room. Everypony covered their eyes, but then the bright light shifted into a soft pink light, covering the whole of the room.

Everypony glanced around to see what the spell was. The ponies around Celestia gasped when they saw thin red strings coming from their right hooves, stretching across the room in different directions before disappearing after hitting the wall.

All eyes quickly went to Fluttershy and Discord. The two were beaming at each other. Discord waved his paw around and bat at the string that came out of it with his claw, laughing. Fluttershy giggled at his antics. The group watched in shock. The string between them was curled and tangled, but there was no denying it.

They were connected by that string.

Celestia released her spell, the room going back to its normal lighting and the strings disappearing. "So these two are indeed soulmates," she said in a breathless voice. She slowly approached the pair. "Discord. What will you do now? You know that even if you do have a soulmate, I cannot let you cause harm to Equestria."

He huffed and crossed his arms. "Kay Kay, you think I didn't figure that already, along with that Fluttershy wouldn't stand for it, either? I already resolved to Fluttershy that I would be on my best behavior," he finished, batting his eyes at her.

She gave a soft smile. "Then for now, I will trust you. Do not break that trust. And with that, I place you into Fluttershy's care." She made eye contact with Fluttershy. "Be safe. And teach him your ways of kindness."

Discord grumbled, "Are we done here? There's some things I'd like to do back at Fluttershy's cottage."

Celestia glanced at the others, who all nodded. All but Twilight, who still had a stunned expression on her face. The Princess turned back to Discord. "Yes, I believe-"

Discord snapped his fingers and teleported them all away before she could finish. The whole group was back at Fluttershy's cottage. Another snap, and everypony but he and Fluttershy were sent to town square.

He sighed and coiled his body around Fluttershy. She had sensed how tense he felt through the whole thing. She rubbed at the back of his neck soothingly. "And we still have to deal with The Pink One throwing us a party," he grumbled.

Fluttershy nuzzled him. "I'm sure it'll be fun. You'll like her."

"Mm. I just hate being…public. About us being connected."

"It is a bit…embarrassing. And nerve-wracking."

"Could I stay a few nights here with you? I have some good ideas about a pocket dimension of chaos, but I'd like to wait until the storm we're facing passes over."

"Oh, you can stay as long as you want. I don't mind."

"I'll still pop in every once in awhile. Perhaps have some tea sometime."

"Oh, we didn't finish our tea from earlier. Why don't we do that now?" She easily stood from his coils that had been loosening, and began to walk to the tea table. She stopped when Discord grabbed at her front hooves and snaked underneath her on his back.

He smirked at her when she looked down. "There's something else we didn't finish," he purred. He propped himself on his elbows and leaned up, an almost unnoticeable blush on his cheeks. Fluttershy thought for a second, and blushed once she remembered. She leaned her head down to his, and her lips met his.

Both of their hearts beat quickly in their chests, and both felt lighter than air. They closed their eyes and sighed in bliss, tension released from both their bodies. Discord mashed his lips against hers, running his tongue along them, savoring their soft texture and sweet taste. Fluttershy leaned into these advances, thrilled at how strange his mouth felt, with his serpents' tongue, and tooth hanging out the one side. His lips were rough and tasted sweet, almost like many different candies mashed all in one place.

Soon, though, the both of them needed to pull away for air. They panted heavily, their faces flushed. Discord flopped onto the ground.

Fluttershy pushed some of her mane behind her ear. "Um…friends until we're ready for the next step?" Discord nodded, giving a small thumbs-up with his lion's paw. "I'm…going to find some snacks for us!" and with that, she ran to the kitchen.

Discord stared up at the ceiling, feeling blissful. He felt like he was sitting in a sunny meadow after drinking a mug of hot coco, all warm inside. What made it better was how he could sense Fluttershy's similar happiness through the connection, and knowing she knew about his. It felt wonderful, after a lifetime of being shunned by the world, to find a place where he belonged: by her side.

Fluttershy sat in the kitchen, smiling. She was a little embarrassed, but that was nothing next to the happiness she felt. She, and everypony else, had been wrong. She did have a soulmate, one who was funny and willing to understand her, and sweet in so many ways.

Neither of them had seen this coming in their wildest dreams. But both of them thought, if that tangled red string was just so insistent they be together…

Well, they certainly wouldn't complain.

* * *

**Author's Note: An idea born from the thought, "If ponies knew their soulmates when they saw them, and if these two were soulmates, what would Discord's first appearance be like?"**

**Discord basically reformed quickly after, like he said, he saw that Fluttershy wouldn't stand by him if he caused her, and basically knowing that she knew he knew that...you know? He's still going to cause some trouble around her friends and other ponies.**

**Tell me if you liked this idea and story!**


	2. Tied Up

Discord slowly blinked awake, stretching all the kinks out of his back. He glanced out the window and saw that Luna'a moon was still shining, no sign of the sun. He rolled off of Fluttershy's couch onto a pocket of air, glancing lazily around the cottage.

Fluttershy was perhaps the sweetest being he knew of. He considered himself lucky to have her as a soulmate. Even now, if he focused, he could feel her presence upstairs through their bond, feeling a sense of peace as she soundly slept. He looked through the cottage again. She was sweet, so sweet, to give him a place to stay.

But sometimes he felt trapped.

Never when she was around, of course. But sometimes, when he woke up early like this, he felt so...stifled. Like the walls were closing in on him, what with their perfect right angles and orderly patterns. He felt like he was drowning in all this order, even if it would disappear in a few hours as animals would come inside of the house, seeking out the kind pegasus.

But there would always be some order underneath. Something inside of his brain was itching, telling him to change the cottage in some way: to tear off the wallpaper, rip up floorboards, to turn it upside down, to burst out of the wall and let chaos flood through the town, bursting out of him like a dam.

He shivered at the thought, a smile twitching onto his face. But Fluttershy was upstairs. This was her home, and if it changed, she would be upset. Just as she could be upset and leave him if the town was suddenly struck by a freak storm of chaos. He forced himself to breathe deeply, to stop his shivering and bring his claws away from a snapping position.

With another deep breath, he opened her window and flew off in the direction of the Everfree Forest. He was able to breathe more easily the second he escaped the normalcy of the cottage and headed towards his special place, thoughts of chaos already running through his head. He'd have until the sun rose, when Fluttershy would wake up and come downstairs to have breakfast with him.

He quickly darted through the forest, dodging trees as though he knew them by heart—which he did. Soon, he came across a curtain of vines and leaves, a perfectly normal thing to see in a forest. He walked around the curtain, nodding in satisfaction when he saw nothing but forest on both sides.

With his paw, he pulled back the curtain and stepped through—into a grove of chaos.

A lake of chocolate milk lay in the center, surrounded by a bank of chocolate pudding, and rocks of rock candy. His storm cloud collection was rumbling in the corner, the trophies from a few heists in Cloudsdale. A bucket of bruised apples was off to the side (who would throw those out? They were the best kind!), next to a wreck of a raft. The pink grass under his feet swayed in a soft breeze, chiming musically.

Discord sighed in relief, taking a seat on his throne, right next to the lake. He decided he was bored with chocolate milk and turned the lake into soda, adding in a couple of upside-down waterfalls. The rocks started to skip and dance, skipping to the tune of the grass, which gained new colors and tones. He disorganized his cloud collection, and nibbled on a bruised apple as he took his raft to the middle of the soda lake. He gazed contentedly at the dawn as he sank into the lake with his sorry excuse of a raft.

...the dawn...

He bolted upright, flying out of the lake. He made sure his illusions were still up as he tore through the curtain, magicking soda off of himself as he flew back towards the cottage.

* * *

Discord slowed down slightly once he saw the cottage. He needed to calm down, slow down his breathing. If Fluttershy sensed him through the bond, she'd wonder why he was so nervous. He didn't want her to know his secret, to know how stifled he felt. She'd try so hard to please him, or she'd blame herself for it...he shook his head.

He took a few deep breaths, slowing his heartbeat. He let his thoughts drift towards what breakfast with Fluttershy would be like. She'd fix herself something small, asking sweetly if he'd like anything. Soon, she'd fly off to care for the animals, inviting him to come. But until then, her attention would be fully on him, and his on her. A smile spread on his face.

With happiness in his heart, he decided to risk sensing her through the bond. She was definitely awake, and...worried. It seemed like she was looking for something, and worried that it wasn't there.

Gulping, he plastered the smile back on his face, and flew calmly towards the cottage. He made it towards the door before it suddenly burst open, revealing Fluttershy's worried face. "There you are!," she sighed. "I was so worried! I didn't see you on the couch this morning, and..."

Discord patted her on the head with his paw. "I merely woke up early and decided to go for a walk," he said, scratching behind her ears. It was hopefully enough of the truth to not be suspicious. "I'm sorry to have worried you, dear Fluttershy." That was undoubtedly true.

She leaned into his touch, an action that made his heart melt. "Okay...could you leave a note next time?," she asked softly. "I was just worried when you disappeared suddenly." She opened the door a little wider. "Come in, please! I was just about to make breakfast. Do you want anything?"

_Pastries. Baskets of them, in every existing and non-existing flavor. On top of pancakes, covered in different syrups. With a side of chaos._ "Pancakes sound nice," he answered, floating in behind her. He shoved down memories of creating whole towns constructed of breakfast, rivers of maple syrup. He focused solely of Fluttershy mixing batter, occasionally creating an ingredient and handing it to her.

Breakfast was a simple affair, though Discord performed a few small tricks that made Fluttershy smile. The syrup bottle floated in the air while butter pats skated and jumped between bowls and plates. He resisted the urge to do something crazier, like turning the table into a pastry and their chairs into cream.

She flew out the door, ready to express her caring nature to any creature that needed it. She was so happy, and that made him happy. Happy enough to mask that itching he felt.

* * *

Discord had turned in early last night, claiming he was tired. (Which he was, actually.) This let him wake up even earlier before dawn, and he quickly darted into the forest before the itching, drowning feeling came back.

He transformed the lake back into chocolate milk, then added a few more reverse waterfalls, and a long, winding lazy river. He played with some of his cloud collection before tossing them into the sky, watching their new, crazy effects. With a snap of his fingers, his throne turned into an inflatable raft and splashed into the lazy river.

He lay on top of it, staring up at his clouds. Some were still normal, just raining in the wrong direction. Others were made of blue cotton candy and raining strawberry milk. Others kept molding themselves into fun shapes. One just rained a constant downpour of liquid rainbow.

A yawn escaped him. With a snap, he had a downy feather pile under his head, and he made himself comfortable, letting the lazy river make its own path. He watched as forest rolled by, snapping his fingers in a steady rhythm and changing the world around him.

* * *

Discord stirred and blinked awake as something cold and wet splashed onto his face. He wiped it off with his paw, sitting upright and looking at his surroundings.

The lazy chocolate river had continued on its path, leaving his throne raft beached on its shore. Feathers were drifting slowly down it. Signs of his chaos were sprinkled around him, from puddles of cream to flying oranges. His cloud collection was still floating overhead, and—

And the sun was already fairly high in the sky.

That jolted him awake. With a squeak, he snapped his talons and teleported to the edge of the treeline near Fluttershy's cottage. As soon as he was there, he was hit with a wave of worry from her.

With a deep sigh, he landed on the ground and approached the cottage. There was not point in trying to hide his feelings in the bond. He rubbed at his paw, where three butterflies lay, and wished for her to know that he was there, and sorry for losing track of time.

The worry slowly disappeared, and Fluttershy opened the front door, running out to meet him. "I'm sorry," she said, "But there wasn't a note—"

"I'm sorry," he murmured, bending down to hug her. "I'm sorry." He held her tightly against him, nuzzling against her neck.

She leaned closer, running her hoof through his mane. He tried to suppress a sigh, though it still escaped from him. "Do you still want breakfast?," she asked. "I hope it's okay I started making toast..."

He made a noncommittal noise, releasing her front the embrace and floating into the cottage behind her. She served him two slices of toast, which he covered in every kind of spread he could find before messily devouring them. Fluttershy just giggled and handed him a napkin before nibbling on her own toast.

He didn't know why, but he felt so tired. And not the good kind of tired that came after spreading chaos for a full day or three, where he'd curl up in a cozy bed and sleep for the next month. No, he felt...drained.

And that cursed itch was still there.

Of course, he didn't even entertain the thought of telling Fluttershy. Oh no. She would worry and fuss, which would be sweet, but she would bundle him in blankets and maybe leave him alone to fetch something, and those rectangular perfect walls would start closing in on him again, as though they were waiting for him to be alone and—he pushed away the thought. He couldn't let her sense it.

She headed off to care for her animals, and he quickly followed. He summoned a nice hammock in between two trees and settled down for a quick rest.

* * *

Discord heard voices, and one of them wasn't Fluttershy's. This was enough to make him sit upright and see what was happening.

He felt a bit of relief seeing it was just Rainbow Dash. She was flying above Fluttershy's head, rubbing at her right hoof, her eyes furrowed, a frown set on her face. She was saying something. Discord pulled at his ear, enlarging it so he could hear.

"...been itching like crazy," Rainbow ranted. "And I just feel so...mad! How am I suppose to take a nap when AJ gets worked up?" She scratched at the three apples emblazed on her right hoof.

Fluttershy sighed. "I'm not sure why you came to me," she said. "You've had more experience with soulmate bonds then me."

"Yeah, but I figured you'd have the hardest one," said Rainbow. "Since you're bound to the Spirit of Chaos and all."

"Well, everything's been easy, actually! We hardly ever sense things from each other without meaning to, and he is just such a sweetheart." Discord buried his face in his hands, even knowing they couldn't see him. Even his neck was turning pink.

He heard Rainbow snort in disbelief, and felt a short pang of disappointment from Fluttershy. He rolled his ear back up into its small, compact form, thinking of how he could casually fly up to the two pegasi without alerting them to his spying.

As he was leaving his hammock, though, a cloud of dust in the distance caught his eye. He placed his hands to his right eye, and with a twist, his eye enlarged into a telescope, which he carefully focused at the front of the dust cloud.

It was Applejack, galloping at an incredible pace, her emerald eyes looking almost red. A rope was held tightly between her grit teeth, the other end hidden in the cloud of dust forming behind her. With each hoofstep, she let out an angry snort, steam practically pouring out of her nostrils.

Discord let go of his eye, letting it hang limply like a deflated balloon from his socket. He turned to look at the pegasi, who had already noticed the dust cloud. Rainbow's eyes lit up, and she flew forward to meet the earth pony, while Fluttershy glanced over at Discord. She cringed and tapped at her right eye.

He turned away and twisted his antler, reeling the eyeball back into place. He blinked a few times, then continued to watch Applejack, who was now much closer. _My, she moves fast_. Rainbow flew over to her, her hoof raised in greeting, but was pushed aside as the earth pony continued her one-pony stampede.

Applejack's eyes were darting around, scanning Fluttershy's yard. They focused on him and narrowed, looking even redder, if that was possible. She changed course and charged directly at him.

Discord hissed like a cat, his hackles raised, and climbed up the tree behind him. He found a spot on a nice, thick branch and laid there on his stomach, tucking his hands underneath his chest. _Earth ponies can't climb trees!,_ he thought smugly,_ Unless I do something like give them fingers..._

He snapped out of his thoughts when Applejack came to the base of his tree, glaring up at him. He stuck his tongue out at her, which made the sound of a noisemaker before it curled back up into his mouth. She growled, her eyes narrowing, before turning around—

And bucking the tree.

He clung to his branch for dear life as the entire tree shook. His claws were unsheathed, and dug into the bark of the tree. His dragon's foot dug itself in, while his goat leg just tried to seek somewhere it wouldn't dangle weakly over the edge. Applejack bucked the tree again, forcing him to grip the branch even more. Even his tails was tied around the limb in a knot.

Applejack was shouting something, but it was muffled by the rope in her mouth. "What was that?," he asked, leaning his grinning head towards her, splaying out his ear.

She spat out the rope. "Don't try and act cute! Yer gonna pay for what you did to ma farm!" She struck the tree again, and Discord yelped.

The two pegasi had already flown over. "Oh dear. Applejack, please stop. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah! I've never even been to your farm!," added Discord_. I only snapped up some of the stuff you were already throwing out!_

Applejack snorted and grabbed onto the rope, pulling it forward. The other end was a lasso wrapped around a fluffy storm cloud...a storm cloud pouring liquid rainbow. "And there's more like this at the farm," she growled, "Plus a river of chocolate milk. Our trees are bein' exposed to elements they should never naturally encounter, and who else could be behind this?"

Discord fought to keep the blood from draining from his face _I didn't put them back, did I..._ Rainbow growled under her breath, then flew towards him, striking him in his stomach. The air was knocked out of him, and his grip on the branch was loosened. Applejack bucked the tree..and down he fell.

He crashed onto his stomach, quickly flipping himself over and backing up against the tree. His claws were still unsheathed, and he could feel his lips pulling back slightly to show his fangs, predatory instincts flowing through him.

And in his veins, he felt something far more dangerous—his chaos magic. It was screaming at him, chanting to turn these ponies into fish and throw them into the chocolate lake to live in, then burn the forest and grow it back again, to run into town and open the earth and sky until nothing was left but his beautiful chaos.

Rainbow was hovering over him, pounding her hooves against each other. Applejack was still glaring, but her eyes weren't red, and she didn't look quite as ready to strangle him. But he still wasn't safe. He twisted his tail behind his back, his head buzzing. He'd turn all the ponies next to him into fish, and teleport them into the lake!

Just before he could snap, though, Fluttershy flew in front of the others. "Wait, please! I'm sure this was just an accident!" She turned to look at him. "Right, Discord?"

He let his tail fall limp. Her eyes showed complete trust, and the same thing radiated from the bond. She was willing to listen to him, even after he—

He...he almost turned her into a fish with the other two. He was so close to harming the only pony who was willing to give him a chance, striking against ponies who were rightfully angry at him. And the thoughts of harming them were still buzzing in the back of his brain. A cold tendril of guilt squeezed at his heart, which sank into his stomach.

Fluttershy frowned, holding her right hoof with a shiver. "...Discord?," she said softly, reaching out to him. He felt a large wave of concern coming from her, concern he didn't deserve.

He snapped his talons and disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

The first thing he did was gather his storm clouds from Sweet Apple Acres, and roll the chocolate river up like a carpet. He then teleported to his chaos grove and threw up as many illusion spells as he could, even creating a bubble-like shield around his area.

Once he was done, and stopped shaking at the thought of Applejack or Rainbow crashing through the trees into his special spot, he fell to the ground with a sigh. The multicolored grass made the sound of crashing instruments as he fell on top of it. He flopped over onto his back, staring up at the sky through the sheen of his illusion.

His chaos magic was still buzzing in him, urging him to act. He weakly snapped his fingers, making a dark cloud hung over him, drenching him with sweet-smelling water. His hand flopped back onto the soggy ground as the rain soaked his fur.

The magic still wanted more, but he silently told it to shut it. It had made him damage Applejack's farm, it made him leave Fluttershy's homey cottage every morning, and it almost made him hurt his soulmate—the magic had no right to demand anything from him!

He growled at himself. He had come so close to losing it, to falling back, after all Fluttershy had done for him! He honestly didn't deserve her as a soulmate, platonic or otherwise.

He glanced around his chaos grove. Perhaps he could hide here for a few decades, changing locations if ponies came too close. Equestria would forget about him, expect for a few ghost stories. It would be better for everypony, especially Fluttershy.

The sound of hoofbeats made his ears perk up. He jumped off of the ground, ready to teleport away, but stopped himself before he snapped. He had put up multiple illusions, a shield, and a spell to make ponies instinctively avoid this area. All he needed to do was wait for whoever it was to leave.

Six ponies came into his vision, stopping just a few feet away from his bubble. It was the Element Bearers. "Girls, we need a plan if we're going to find Discord," said Twilight. "And when we find him, we'll all talk to him _together."_ The others begrudgingly nodded.

"Rainbow, scan the forest from above and see if you can spot him. Applejack, search the east side of the forest. Pinkie, west. Rarity, you stay near the entrance and see if he comes back out. Fluttershy, search the north." Her horn lit up. "I'm going to scan for any sign of chaos magic."

The group cheered and broke apart. Rainbow tore through the tree branches, Applejack and Rarity cantered off, Pinkie bounced away, and Twilight teleported away. Fluttershy hovered in the air, looking ready to take off, but paused glanced around.

"...Discord?," she said quietly, making him flinch. "I know you're there. It's okay to come out." She rubbed at her right hoof, closing her eyes in concentration. He was hit with a mixture of emotions—worry, pity, sadness, and concern. He wanted to reach out, to comfort her. His paw was already stretching towards her before he grabbed it, shoving it back down to his side.

She opened her eyes and glanced around her. _Did she...sense that?,_ Discord thought, wringing his tail. He tried to shrug off the idea. Even if she had felt his presence, she wouldn't be able to pinpoint where he was, or see him under his illusions.

Still, it was unnerving when she manged to look him in the eyes through his shield. He gulped, telling himself it was a coincidence. Even when she flew forward, straight towards him, he wrung his tail again and reminded himself that he had put up several barriers and repulsion spells. She stopped right where Discord knew there would be a barrier that would lightly push against her. He held his breath, waiting for her to fly away, then he could safely leave and find a deserted island somewhere to inhabit.

She turned...and sat down, leaning against his barrier.

Yeah, she definitely knew he was there.

"I know talking about things like this can be difficult," she said, "But if you don't do it, nothing's going to get better. Please, Discord...just let me in."

He hesitated, then slowly stepped towards her. With a snap of his fingers, the barrier was dispelled, though he held the illusions up. He quickly summoned a pillow as Fluttershy fell to the ground. She landed with a wheeze, the breath knocked out of her, sending a pang of guilt through him.

She slowly got back onto her hooves, her mouth dropping open as her eyes scanned his chaos grove. She shook her head, focusing her gaze on Discord, her attention flicking to the cloud raining on him for just a second, and he sensed a mixture of confusion and pity from her.

His hackles almost rose. He hated being pitied. He jabbed at the cloud with his talon, making it pop like a soap bubble. A smile flickered on Fluttershy's face, but disappeared as she started to approach him. When she was just a few feet away, he grabbed his tail, watching her warily. She stopped right there and sat down, gesturing for him to do the same.

He did so, tucking his legs into a pretzel shape, hands on his knees. "Is there...anything you'd like to say?," asked Fluttershy.

He quickly shook his head. She raised an eyebrow, which caused him to freeze before he started to slowly nod. "Yes...but I don't know where to start. And...I don't really want to say it," he muttered.

"I know it's hard," she said. "Is it alright if I ask you some questions? You don't have to answer them if they make you uncomfortable." He hesitated, but nodded. "Okay. First...did you mean to cause chaos at Applejack's farm?"

He quickly shook his head. "No, of course not! I mean, I did it, but it was purely accidental! I just forgot to put everything back in its place."

She breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on her face. "Okay, t-that's good. I was sure of that, but..." She scuffed at the ground with her hoof, glancing around the grove. "And...how long have you been making chaos here?"

He looked away. "...I started a few days after moving in with you," he said quietly. She was quiet. "I just...it was too orderly. I couldn't take it. But I didn't want to change your home."

"Didn't you say you'd make your own pocket dimension? What happened?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I made it sound easier than it is. I'm not quite ready for interdimensional travel yet, much less making my own dimension. It doesn't help that I've been feeling so tired all the time."

She looked him in the eye. "When you say you wake up early and go for a walk, is this where you come?" He nodded. "Have you being planning on coming here so early intentionally?" He hesitated, but slowly nodded. "Do you think that's why you're so tired? I mean, you're waking up early and then using a lot of magic."

He bristled up, opening his mouth to defend himself. His mouth snapped shut with a click as he realized that she wasn't being accusatory, and she was also completely right. He crossed his arms with a huff, letting his frustration shine through the bond.

"It's okay to feel annoyed, especially when you're sleep-deprived," she assured him. He let out a "Harumph." She continued, "But I'm sure that once you get some rest, you can make your own chaotic space! And I'm sure I can help you find some spot to make chaos in until you're all rested up—"

"Stop," he grunted. "P-please, stop." She froze, staring at him questioningly. He covered his eyes with a paw so she couldn't look him directly in the eye. "You're...you're too _good,_ Fluttershy. I don't deserve you."

She gasped. "How can you say that? You've changed! You turned away from evil, you stopped trying to take over Equestria! You can't be faulted for causing chaos if it's part of who you are!"

He glanced at her over his paw. She was breathing heavily, gazing at him with such sincerity and trust. He uncovered his eyes, shifting his gaze to the ground. "...You're...not...entirely right," he whispered.

The wind blew through the grove, but not even the musical grass dared to make a sound.

He sighed. "I know I said I'd change my ways, but...I still want...I want to wreak havoc, to cause chaos. Some small part of me still wants to take Equestria by force." She wasn't saying anything. He silently begged her to say something, to stop him. "It-It whispers to me at night. I can't fall asleep because it floods my mind."

He clamped his mouth shut, turning away from her. He willed himself to not reach through the bond for her reaction, not wanting to feel the fear and hatred that was surely there. His ear twitched as he heard her soft hoofsteps, but didn't turn to look, not wanting to see the painful sight of her walking away from him.

He gasped when he felt a soft touch on his lower back.

His head snapped around. There she was, right next to him, a gentle hoof laid on his side. She gazed at him with sympathy, sitting down next to him and leaning her head against him.

"It's alright," she whispered. "Y-your whole life you've only worried about yourself and your chaos...a-and now everything's changing. It's...it's not going to just go away suddenly. Thoughts of your life before, I mean."

His eyes widened, remembering flashes of her memories he had seen in their first connection. She had believed her whole life that she had no soulmate, just as he had believed he was utterly alone in the world. Was she going through the same struggles as him? Even without magic screaming in her veins, her life had also been turned on its head.

He reached out with his paw and grabbed her right hoof, closing his eyes. With all the energy he could muster, he tried to open the connection, thinking of every moment they had shared together. When they'd first met. The first time he made her laugh. Their first tea party. Her inviting him into her cottage, telling him he could stay. Their kiss.

"I don't want to leave you," he murmured, opening his eyes. Her own eyes fluttered open slowly.

"You don't have to," she said, leaning against him.

He sighed. "Your home, it's too...orderly. Whenever you're not there, I feel...overwhelmed by it. Uncomfortable."

"Why don't I sleep next to you?" She blushed, hiding behind her mane "I-if me being there will help you feel comfortable. Until you're ready to make that dimension. A-and you're free to cause chaos to make yourself at home! Anything that doesn't hurt any creature is alright..."

"...That sounds nice." His voice was so thin. He couldn't remember ever being this vulnerable before he met her. But he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was the one pony who would never, ever hurt, shun, or manipulate him for showing weakness.

"And my home is always open to you! I just don't want you to be uncomfortable," she said, nuzzling his side. He bit his lip, trying to stifle a whimper.

"...What about my...well, wanting to..." He gulped. "I don't think your friends will be quite as accepting of the fact that I'd like to...take over Equestria."

She sighed. "I know. But...you haven't done anything. They shouldn't hold that against you. Everypony has thoughts of horrible things sometimes." She wrapped her hooves around him. "And, um...I think you might be considering...that...because there's no other way to use your magic."

He stared down at her. "What do you mean?"

"W-well, you've only ever used your magic for yourself, right? A-and now, you're being told you can't, or you feel like you can't. You have your magic, and you can't use it as much as you used to, or in the ways you used to...and nopony's given you an alternative."

She buried his face in her fur. "I'm so sorry. I never thought of that before. I'm...I'm such a terrible soulmate."

His eyes widened. He grabbed her under her forehooves and lifted her up to his eye level. She squeaked, trying to hide behind her mane. He pressed his forehead to hers, staring her right in the eyes.

"You are _not_ terrible," he hissed. "You are wonderful, sweet, and impossibly kind. If either of us is terrible, it's ME! I sneaked away from you, after you opened your home to me. I hid things from you, when I knew you were worried. I didn't talk to you about what I was thinking, because...I don't know how to trust you. Or anypony."

He quickly blinked, his eyes burning, his vision blurring. "I...I care about you. I want to be with you, by your side. I _want_ to trust you. I just don't know how."

She reached out, brushing her hoof against his cheek. It looked wet when she pulled it away. She slowly closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against his, returning the pressure. Her hooves snaked around his neck, and began rubbing at his mane. To his horror, strangled sounds came from his throat, and he felt something pouring down his muzzle.

They stayed like that for some time. Her friends wandered by, saying they couldn't find him, and eventually walked away, heading towards Fluttershy's cottage. The two of them ignored everything around them, Fluttershy gently comforting Discord, who cried for the first time he could even remember.

Eventually, his breathing became less labored, and tears stopped flowing down his cheeks. He slowly released his grip on Fluttershy, and her gentle stroking slowed. He opened his eyes, drinking in the sight of her. Her pink mane was shimmering in the orange sunlight, her teal eyes glittering as she offered him a soft, caring smile.

_I want to kiss you_.

She blinked in shock, and he covered his mouth. "...I said that aloud, didn't I?" She nodded, a slight frown on her face.

"I...I wouldn't mind that..." She whispered. Before he could lean forward, she continued, "But...I don't think we should. We...we still need to figure out what we are. You said you're not used to trusting ponies. And...I'm not used to having a soulmate, either. We...we both have some things to work through before we can take that next step."

"...I understand," he said. She smiled softly, though her eyes still seemed sad.

She started to walk towards the edge of his grove. He floated behind her, snapping his fingers to dispel most of his defensive spells. She spoke up again as they walked through the forest. "I think you should go explain what happened at Sweet Apple Acres to Applejack. Don't worry, I'll be right by your side. And then we can go home...you can sleep next to me tonight, if you think that will make you feel better. And you can cause chaos, and maybe talk with Celestia tomorrow, to see if you could use your magic to help—"

He quickly scooped her up into his arms, nuzzling her. She froze, surprised, but nuzzled him back. He held her, feeling trust and acceptance from their bond. "I'll do all of that. But for now...can we just stay like this?," he whispered.

She nodded, and he stood their for several minutes. Once he was ready, he took a deep breath and let her go. She flew ahead, and he followed her without hesitation.

They left the forest, heading forward.


End file.
